Act Respecting the Oath to the Succession

The Act Respecting the Oath to the Succession was a November 1534 bill passed by the Parliament of England that required all subjects to take an oath to recognize Anne Boleyn as King Henry VIII's lawful wife and their children legitimate heirs to the throne; anyone refusing to take the oath was guilty of treason. Refusal to take oath led to the arrests of Sir Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher for treason in 1534, as the oath included the abjuration of the Pope and claimed that the marriage between King Henry and Catherine of Aragon was annulled. Both of them were beheaded in 1535.